SOUTH TANGIPAHOA PARISH PORT COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING

President Daryl Ferrara called the regular meeting to order on January 10, 2024 at 9:10 AM. The
meeting was held at the City Hall Annex Building, located at 110 W. Hickory Street, Ponchatoula,
LA.

The invocation was given by Administrative Assistant Robyn Pusey, followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance, led by Commissioner Jimmy Schliegelmeyer, Jr.
 

Commissioners Present: Daryl Ferrara, Jimmy Schliegelmeyer, Jr., Tina Roper, Timothy DePaula,
William Sims, Rhonda Sheridan
 

Commissioners Absent: William “Bill” Joubert

President Ferrara welcomed the attendees. Others Present: Patrick Dufresne, Executive Director;
Robyn Pusey, Administrative Assistant, Lee Barends, ITL Accounting; Andre Coudrain, Cashe
Coudrain & Bass; Richard Meek, Hammond Daily Star.
 

APPROVAL OF AGENDA/MINUTES

It was moved by Commissioner Sheridan and seconded by Commissioner Roper that the South
Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission approve the regular meeting agenda for January 10, 2024 as
presented. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Schliegelmeyer, Jr., Roper, DePaula, Sims,
Sheridan. Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Joubert.

President Ferrara announced that the minutes of the public hearing and regular meeting on
December 12, 2023, had been sent to the Commissioners by email for review, and a copy of the
minutes had been placed in their meeting folders. After a brief review of the minutes, a motion was
made by Commissioner Roper and seconded by Commissioner Sheridan to adopt/approve the
minutes from the public hearing and regular meeting on December 12, 2023. Motion passed.
Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Schliegelmeyer, Jr., Roper, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan. Nays: 0 Absent: 1
Joubert.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Prior to the meeting today the financial reports for the period ending December 31, 2023, had been
emailed to the Commissioners for their review and a copy was placed in their meeting folders.
Commissioner/Treasurer Schliegelmeyer, Jr. reviewed the reports with the Commissioners, saying
the total monthly interest income was $118.38 and the monthly investment dividend & interest was
$36,921.98. He said the rental income was $117,006.20 with total revenues of $163,196.56. He
said the total expenses were $25,909.51 and the net income was $137,287.05. A brief discussion
was had regarding the current assets, and how much money should be moved from the Hancock
general account to the Edward Jones money market account. It was agreed to keep a minimal
amount of money in the operating account to manage monthly expenses, and then move the
remaining funds to the money market account, as there is no issue moving funds back and forth
when necessary and this would give the most return. Port accountant Lee Barends suggested that
there be a specific dollar amount that is to be sustained in the operating account. It was agreed to

keep $250,000.00 in the operating account and move the overage to the Edward Jones account
each month. President Ferrara asked that Shaun McArthur of Edward Jones be invited to the next
STPPC meeting in February to update the commission on the STPPC account standings and
advise of any current financial opportunities.
 

It was moved by Commissioner Roper and seconded by Commissioner DePaula that the
Commission accept/approve the financials for the month ending December 31, 2023. Motion
passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Schliegelmeyer, Jr., Roper, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan. Nays: 0 Absent:
1 Joubert.

OLD BUSINESS

1. LA-DOTD Port Priority State H. 011927 – Transload Improvements – update
Truck scale container update and electrical update.

Executive Director Patrick Dufresne told the Commissioners that after multiple delays and labor
issues, the contractor (LA Contracting Enterprise, LLC) had to locate another container company.
Mr. Dufresne said the new container company will be providing some of the container modifications
and all the electrical work will be completed by the projects electrical contractor. He said that he
had seen the new container unit, and he hoped the container would be ready as soon as possible.
There were no questions.

2. Warehouse Building #3 - evaluation & maintenance schedule update
 

Patrick Dufresne, Executive Director told the Commissioners that a commercial inspection of
Warehouse Building #3 had been completed by Advanced Building Inspections. A copy of the
report had been emailed to them prior to the meeting, and a copy was placed in their meeting
folders. Commissioner Roper said she “was very concerned” by the initial findings in the report.
She asked port attorney Andre Coudrain “who is responsible for this?” Mr. Coudrain stated general
maintenance and reasonable, ordinary wear and tear things are to be fixed by the tenant, however
the current lease does not give clarity. He said the Commission would decide as part of
negotiations with the tenant (Premier Chemicals) that any repairs needing to be done, and
certainly anything the tenant has damaged, would also need to be repaired by the tenant.
President Ferrara said now that we have the findings, we need to present this to the tenant.
Commissioner Sheridan said there are serious concerns in the building, and negotiations with the
tenant need to determine what our responsibility is and what is theirs. Additional safety concerns
were expressed by Commissioner Roper, who felt there was a lack of oversight regarding the
maintenance of the building by the port director and felt 50 – 60% of the findings were “our fault”.
Commissioner DePaula did not agree, saying we have no information as to what actually caused
the damage, and thought the report only showed the obvious need for repairs, but not what caused
it. He said this is why initially he wanted to have a structural engineer evaluate Building# 3.
Commissioner DePaula said the report findings should be sent to the tenant to “see what they
come up with” and said we need to push for an ongoing maintenance schedule from the tenant.
Commissioner Roper said, “Now that there is documentation in a very inexpensive manner to say
that there are some serious issues going on in this building, we need to address it, not just for our
knowledge, but if there are safety concerns, we need to assure that they are addressed.”
President Ferrara agreed with Commissioner Roper. She also said to Commissioner DePaula
“Now we can look at the next steps, and that may be getting into conversations with the tenant and
also a structural review to look at some of the issues that have been observed.”

Discussion about the report findings continued among the Commissioners. Clarification of one of
the photographs in the report that appeared to show roof damage was given by Mr. Dufresne,
stating it was not part of the roof replacement project, that it was a very small section of the
unloading rack over the track that was damaged in Hurricane Ida. President Ferrara asked Mr.
Dufresne what will happen moving forward. Mr. Dufresne said he had previously presented 3
engineering inspection quotes to the Commission, and that he could ask the company with the
lowest quote to issue an evaluation report. Commissioner Sims said he preferred to go to the
tenant first, that during a previous meeting “the tenant appeared to be open to helping with a lot of
this.” Commissioner DePaula agreed, saying we should go to the tenant first with the findings
showing what needs to be repaired and discuss implementing a maintenance schedule.
Commissioner Roper referred the Commissioners to page 5 of the report which said the inspector
couldn’t get to the interior electricals due to chemicals on the ground. Commissioner
Schliegelmeyer, Jr. said this is where the tenant is washing down his containers, in the northeast
corner of the building, and that he had concerns about the chemicals being washed inside and out
of the building. President Ferrara said he spoke with Manchac Fire Chief George Coxen, and that
Chief Coxen had the same concerns, and that he doesn’t think the “filtrate system” or “washdown
system” being used by the tenant is significant enough to cover what they are doing.
Commissioner DePaula said “We need to be sure before we throw accusations at people about
what is going on, and what is the law and what he is doing, and whether he gets inspected and
does it pass, and did any of these concerns ever come up.” He said he understands that everyone
is concerned about this but said we should be careful before saying “it’s not good enough before
we have proof that it’s not, legally.” He said that the inspection report should be sent to the tenant,
advise them that the damage to the building needs to be repaired, and get an ongoing, regular
maintenance schedule from them. President Ferrara wanted to add a disclaimer that Fire-Chief
Coxen said he knows that the DEQ inspects the property on a regular basis, that the statement
about the “filtrate system” or “washdown system” was only Chief Coxen’s personal opinion. Lee
Barends suggested getting a copy of the DEQ reports, that may ease the minds of concerned
citizens.

Commissioner Roper asked port attorney Andre Coudrain to get a formal response from the tenant
and Commissioner Sims asked for a timeline for repairs and maintenance. President Ferrara
asked him to itemize each concern. Mr. Coudrain said the first issue is safety, and the second is
repairs, and, “we don’t know if what was reported was normal or happened on one particular day.”
Commissioner Roper said she wants to know the exact chemicals being processed in Building #3,
that she had asked for this information, but had not seen any reports. She said, “We need to be
assured over what is happening in Building #3 before discussing a lease for Building #2.” Mr.
Coudrain said he will work with Mr. Dufresne to find out the intentions of the tenant and go from
there.
 

3. Warehouse Building #2 – update

Port attorney Andre Coudrain said the lien period had passed, there were no claims, and the final
payment could be released to L King Company, LLC. There were no questions.
 

4. Barge Dock Repair – update
a) Resolution

President Ferrara asked Mr. Dufresne to give a timeline of the barge dock repair to date. Mr.
Dufresne said that FEMA had been to the port and inspected the barge dock on several occasions,
and now they are at the point of trying to determine what repair method would be approved, and
what the cost estimates would be. After a preliminary review of the dock performed by the project
Engineer of Record, Jim Ragland, provided 3 options. A summary of these findings had been
emailed to the Commissioners, and copies were placed in their meeting folders. Mr. Dufresne said
the first 2 options were for repair, and the third, which was the most recent request by FEMA, to

replace the entire dock. The first option was to replace the wood with 14 x 14-inch wood beams,
and the general estimate would be $1,250,000.00. The second option would be replacement steel
under the dock and fender system, which FEMA considers a mitigation project, and the general
estimate would be $1,650,000.00 The third option was for the engineer to give an estimate for a
new dock. FEMA wanted to determine if the repair costs would be more than 50% of a new dock,
and if so, may consider funding a new dock. Mr. Dufresne said it would be around $1,000,000.00
for demolition of the old dock, soil testing, etc., and total costs would be close to $5,000,000.00.
He said FEMA would make the final decision about the repairs and it’s obvious that FEMA would
not pick option #3, that it would cost much less to repair the dock than build a new one. He said
that FEMA would fund 90% of the project, and STPPC is responsible for 10%. Mr. Dufresne stated
that the estimated project engineering fees would not be in excess of $135,000.00 and that a
resolution would be required to proceed. After a brief discussion by the Commissioners, a
resolution was read by Commissioner/Secretary Roper.

At a regular meeting of the South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission held on January 10, 2024
the following resolution was introduced and adopted; to wit:

Moved by Commissioner Sheridan, seconded by Commissioner DePaula that the Commission
authorize Patrick J. Dufresne, Executive Director, to enter into an agreement with Ragland,
Aderman and Associates for professional engineering services for the construction phase of the
barge dock repair project at the Port Manchac Inter-modal terminal. The professional engineering
service fees for the project shall not exceed $135,000.00 and 90% will be funded by the FEMA
infrastructure grant funding program.

Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Schliegelmeyer, Jr., Roper, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan. Nays: 0
Absent: 1 Joubert.
 

5. Prospective Tenant(s) – update
 

Mr. Dufresne told the Commissioners there was no prospective tenant update today, however he
had an update on the tree-loading operation by ECO/RESTORE, a company that the port signed
an agreement with and is currently working at the port. He said they had requested an additional
acre of parking. Port Attorney Andre Coudrain updated the agreement with ECO/RESTORE,
adding an additional $1,000.00 per acre per month to the current agreement in January and
February 2024. Mr. Dufresne also said he had a meeting with LA-DOTD and the U.S. Department
of Transportation’s Maritime Administration regarding grants for additional port infrastructure and is
trying to determine what is the best fit for the port.
 

6. Insurance Package for FY 2023-2024 – update

Mr. Dufresne told the Commissioners there were no additional updates at this time. He said that it
is time to get Requests for Insurance Proposals, and there will be a resolution presented for
approval at the next STPPC meeting to begin the RFP advertisement process. Commissioner
Roper requested the RFP be placed in multiple papers beyond the Ponchatoula Times.

7. Invoice Payment Approval
 

Commissioner/Treasurer Schliegelmeyer presented the current invoices for payment approval.
 

1. Cashe Coudrain & Bass
Services rendered through December 31, 2023
Inv# 126988 Matter # 4623-1 Amt. $700.00

2. Advanced Building Inspections
Inspection – Warehouse Building #3   Amt. $2,200.00

3. Ports Association of Louisiana
PAL Corporate Membership dues
January – December 2024                   Amt. $2,200.00

A motion was made by Commissioner DePaula and seconded by Commissioner Roper that the
Commission approve payment for the invoices presented today by Commissioner/Treasurer
Schliegelmeyer, Jr., for Cashe, Coudrain & Bass, Advanced Building Inspection and Ports
Association of Louisiana. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Schliegelmeyer, Jr., Roper, DePaula,
Sims, Sheridan. Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Joubert.

8. Budget FY 2024 – update
a) Executive Session

The Commissioners were not ready to have a discussion regarding the evaluation of the Executive
Director. Commissioner Sims stated he had received Mr. Dufresne’s updated evaluation but had
not yet reviewed. He said he would send Mr. Dufresne’s updated evaluation to the Commissioners
for their review and comments. Commissioner Sims said he would be ready for review at the next
STPPC meeting. Commissioner Roper said it should be considered that the State of Louisiana
had not issued a raise for this year. The Commissioners decided to table the Executive Session.

NEW BUSINESS
1. Election of Officers for Term 2024

Election of the STPPC officers for 2024 was introduced by President Daryl Ferrara . He said
current officers are Daryl Ferrara, President; William “Bill” Joubert, Vice-President; Tina Roper,
Secretary and Jimmy Schliegelmeyer, Jr., Treasurer. President Ferrara asked the Commissioners
if they wanted to keep the same officers in place for 2024 or open it up for discussion. After a brief
discussion, Commissioner Sims made a motion recommending that STPPC continue in 2024 with
the current seated officers. The motion was seconded by Commissioner DePaula. Motion passed.
Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Schliegelmeyer, Jr., Roper, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan. Nays: 0 Absent: 1
Joubert. Executive Director Patrick Dufresne congratulated the elected officials, President Ferrara,
Vice-President William “Bill” Joubert, Secretary Tina Roper and Treasurer Jimmy Schliegelmeyer,
Jr.

2. Audit Engagement for FY 2023
a) Resolution
 

Mr. Dufresne advised the Commission that it is time for the annual Audit Engagement Agreement
for FY 2023. The audit fee from Pinell and Martinez, LLC would be $6500.00, and is the same as
last year’s fee. A resolution was introduced by Secretary Roper:
 

At a regular meeting of the South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission held on Wednesday,
January 10, 2024, the following resolution was introduced and adopted; to wit:
Moved by Commissioner Schliegelmeyer, Jr., seconded by Commissioner Sheridan that the
Commission approve acceptance of the proposed Audit Engagement Proposal agreement, not to

exceed the amount of $6,500.00 from Pinell & Martinez, LLC, 308 South Tyler Street, Suite 4,
Covington, LA 70433 and execute the engagement contract as stipulated in its proposal to
perform the audit for the year ended December 31, 2023 for the South Tangipahoa Parish Port
Commission.
 

Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Schliegelmeyer, Jr., Roper, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan. Nays: 0
Absent: 1 Joubert.
 

Remarks:
 

Mr. Dufresne told the Commission that a couple of weeks ago Air Products had a barrel of drilling
mud that spilled into the pass and the DEQ was called out to the port. He said the spill was
contained and cleaned up quickly. Mr. Dufresne said Air Products has an emergency response
team on site 24 hours a day for anything that could happen at the rig or at the port site itself and is
constantly being monitored. Commissioner Roper asked that if something like this happens again
to please contact Dawson Primes with the Tangipahoa Parish Office of Emergency Response.
Port Director Patrick Dufresne said that he did call Mr. Primes, however Commissioner Roper said
she spoke to him, and he said he received a call from DEQ only. In the future she wants to be
clear that Dawson Primes should also be notified of these incidents by Mr. Dufresne. She also
said new District 73 Representative Kim Coates had called her and asked for a brief rundown of
what had happened. She told Ms. Coates that the Executive Director was “on top of it", and that
everything had been handled. Ms. Coates followed up in a few days to say she had done her own
investigation, and that it was her understanding that everything was handled as she was told.
President Ferrara said that the next STPPC meeting was during Mardi Gras week and asked if
anyone wanted to change the date to February 21st. The Commissioners decided to keep the
meeting as scheduled on February 14, 2024.

President Ferrara asked the administrative assistant to reach out to Manchac Fire Chief George
Coxen and invite him to the next STPPC meeting to discuss his needs at the port. He also
reminded her to contact Financial Advisor Shaun McArthur of Edward Jones to attend the next
STPPC meeting for an account update. The Commissioners also discussed whether to invite Andy
Parker with Premier Chemicals and decided to wait and invite him to attend the March meeting.

Having no further business, a motion for adjournment was made by Commissioner Sheridan and
seconded by Commissioner DePaula. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Schliegelmeyer, Jr.,
Roper, DePaula, Sims, Sheridan. Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Joubert.
The meeting adjourned at 10:10 AM.

_____________________________________
____________________________________
Tina Roper, Secretary STPPC Daryl Ferrara, President STPPC